POLS 594
Pre-Professional Seminar in Public Administration
Spring 2012
Instructor: John A. Hamman
Place: 3173 Faner
Time: 9:35-10:50 W
Office Hours: Tu, Th 2:00-4:00 or by
appointment.
Office: 3162 Faner Hall
Phone: 618.453.3174
Enrollment in POLS 594 is restricted to MPA students in good standing with the MPA program. The primary objective of this course is to produce the MPA Paper Proposal (see MPA Handbook). To pass this class, students must deposit their completed research proposal in to the MPA office by 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 4th (in-service students are also required to submit their in-service report by May 11th). Failure to do so will result in an unsatisfactory grade. No exceptions! The course will also cover how to set up an internship, how to write the internship paper (pre-service students), and how to write the in-service report (in-service students).
Textbooks
MPA Handbook - Hardcopy provided to you at MPA student orientation. Please note recent copies can be found online here: http://mpa.siuc.edu/current/requirements.html .
Student Evaluation
This course is S / U. Students who attend all the required class sessions and successfully submit a completed proposal (with signatures) which is due May 7th (in-service students are also required to submit their in-service report by May 14th) will receive an S. Otherwise, the student will earn a U. Research proposal drafts not submitted by the February 26th deadline may not be evaluated nor returned.
Attendance Policy
You are expected to attend every class period. Since the class meets only 4 times (3 for in-service students), an unexcused absence will result in a U.
Beepers and Cell Phones
Turn off your cell phone before you get to class. Texting is not allowed during class.
Honesty Policy
Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Substantiated cases of plagiarism will result in a grade of “F” for the course. Students are responsible for knowing the basic principles of academic honesty. Ignorance is not a defense. The instructor is pleased to discuss these principles with anyone beforehand if they are unsure of their meaning and intent. You should also read the SIU student conduct code because any suspicion of plagiarism or cheating will be handled according to this document. You many view a copy here:
http://policies.siuc.edu/policies/conduct.html
Emergency Procedures
Southern Illinois
University Carbondale is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment
for study and work. Because some health and safety circumstances are beyond our
control, we ask that you become familiar with the SIUC Emergency Response Plan
and Building Emergency Response Team (BERT) program. Emergency response
information is available on posters in buildings on campus, available on the
BERT'S website at www.bert.siu.edu , Department of Public
Safety's website www.dps.siu.edu (disaster drop down) and
in the Emergency Response Guidelines pamphlet. Know how to respond to each type
of emergency.
Instructors will
provide guidance and direction to students in the classroom in the event of an
emergency affecting your location. It is important that you follow these
instructions and stay with your instructor during an evacuation or sheltering
emergency. The Building Emergency Response Team will provide assistance to your
instructor in evacuating the building or sheltering within the facility.
Class Schedule
Assignment for First Class January 18th: Read and bring Section VI of MPA Handbook to class with you. You may get Section VI from the 2011 handbook here if you can’t find your handbook. It is the latest version of the handbook online.
http://mpa.siuc.edu/pdf/Spring2011Handbook.pdf
January 18th: Overview of research paper process and the research proposal
a. Writing the research paper
b. Oral defense
c. Depositing the paper with the
d. Getting started: the research proposal
Examples of successful research paper proposals:
Assignment for February 15th: First draft of research proposal
February 15th: Preparing the first draft of the MPA Paper Proposal.
a. Students bring draft of research proposal to class
b. Instructor and students critique proposals
Proposal Draft (less committee
signatures) Due: February 24th.
(Returned with comments by March 7th)
March 28th: Students finalize their paper proposal draft.
a. Students present research proposal to the class
b. Students discuss who can serve on their committee for their paper project
c. In-service report
Final Proposal (with all attachments1
and signatures) due: 4:30 p.m. May 4th.
In-service report due Friday May 11th
April 25th: Seminar on interning and the internship paper. (Pre-service students only)
a. Arranging for the Internship
b. The internship paper
1This includes survey instruments, interview protocols, human subjects approval forms, etc.
Selected Graduate
School Deadlines (for complete list visit http://www.gradschool.siuc.edu/dates&deadlines.html)
Januay 29: Last day to drop a semester length course to be
eligible for a credit/refund; change credit/audit status; and to withdraw from
the University with a full refund
February 10: Deadline to turn in Master's Fellowship application to Graduate School
February 10: Deadline to turn in Graduate Dean's Fellowship application to Graduate School
February 10: Deadline to turn in PROMPT Assistantship/Fellowship application to Graduate School
February 17: Deadline
to apply for May Graduation
March
16: Last day to submit paperwork to drop/withdraw from a course for Spring 2012
(CRF's or withdrawal forms)
March 18: Last day to drop a course online using SalukiNet (for students). No Refunds!
April
13: Deadline to submit Research
Papers, Theses, and Dissertations to the Graduate School for May Graduation
April 15: Deadline to turn in Graduate Tuition Scholarship application for Summer 2012